


a full moon will do that sometimes

by kotaka_kun



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Established Relationship, M/M, Supernatural Elements, i say werewolf but really hes more of a weredog, instead he was the one that got surprised, sokka didnt know, sokka just wanted to surprise his boyfriend, werewolf!zuko, zuko says fuck jkr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotaka_kun/pseuds/kotaka_kun
Summary: And then he came face to face with a dog.A really, really big dog.Zuko didn’t have a dog.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 210





	1. Chapter 1

Sokka snuck up to Zuko’s front door as quietly as he could, while also trying not to look suspicious as hell, just in case a neighbor or two saw him. He wasn’t up to anything bad, it was just that he’d called earlier and told Zuko that he wouldn’t be able to come over tonight, but hearing the poorly concealed disappointment in his boyfriend’s voice had prompted Sokka to come over anyway -- his homework could wait. 

Surprising Zuko would be fun, he thought, as he used the spare key Zuko had given him to let himself in. 

And then he came face to face with a dog. 

A really,  _ really  _ big dog. 

Zuko didn’t have a dog. 

And then without thinking, Sokka shut the door, locked it, and backed away, pulling out his phone, and tapping through screens until he pulled up Zuko’s number and called him.

Sokka had grown up with dogs, and that... that canine in there was no dog. It was way too fucking big to be a dog. The shape of its head and body made it pretty clear that it was a wolf. 

What the fuck was a wolf doing in Zuko’s apartment? What the fuck was a wolf doing in the city, to begin with? What the  _ fuck _ ? 

Zuko wasn’t answering, and Sokka could hear the muffled ringing on the other side of the door. 

“Okay, animal control. Yeah. Okay.” Sokka muttered to himself, trying to ignore the fact that there was a wolf in Zuko’s house and Zuko was nowhere to be found. 

He was absolutely  _ not _ panicking and running through every single worst-case scenario in his head. 

“Zuko, where the fuck are you?” 

And then, from the other side of the door, Sokka heard the wolf  _ whine _ . High and nasally, like a dog. He didn’t know what to make of that. Dogs and wolves were very different creatures, obviously; domestication and whatnot. So what did it mean if what was very clearly a wolf was making dog-like sounds? 

Trying to calm his racing heart, Sokka took a moment to think about what the wolf looked like. Its black fur hadn’t been matted, and if anything had looked shiny and well kept. For whatever reason, it didn’t look like a wild animal. He stood there for a while, considering his options. If he called animal control, they’d probably ask about the situation, and he should be prepared with an answer, so... 

Slowly and carefully, Sokka unlocked the door, and peered inside, using his body to brace up against the door, should the wolf try to ram his way out. Just inside, lying down in the entryway, was the wolf, ears back in what Sokka recognized to be fear. As soon as he made eye contact with it though, it seemed to almost perk up, lifting its head and gazing steadily at Sokka. It moved as if to stand, and Sokka flinched as he jerked back, unsure if slamming the door would be dangerous. 

The wolf stopped moving and appeared to consider its options as if it were capable of a higher level of thinking and problem-solving. It seemed to decide that the best course of action then was to lay back down, and Sokka was startled to see it roll over onto its back, the most non-threatening pose a canine could offer. It made Sokka want to scratch his head, completely perplexed by this animal’s behavior. 

Why was this seemingly wild animal behaving like a well-trained dog? Had Zuko somehow domesticated a wolf and had simply forgotten to mention it to Sokka? Sokka was almost positive that Zuko had nowhere to hide such a massive animal in his apartment, especially considering how often Sokka came by, many times completely unannounced, much like tonight. 

“Where did you even come from?” Sokka asked, staring at the wolf, who only stared back. “Where’s Zuko? You didn’t eat him, did you?” 

The wolf snorted softly in a way that almost sounded like Zuko did when he scoffed. 

...

No, absolutely not. There was no way. That made no sense whatsoever. Fairytales and folklore were stories that he didn’t need to be thinking about right now. 

And yet, now that he’d thought it, it was hard to unthink it. The fur around the wolf’s left eye was patchy, and Sokka could see scar tissue beneath it. It was as though his scar matched- 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” he breathed, and there must’ve been something about his tone that made the wolf perk up. “This is ridiculous.  _ I’m  _ being ridiculous,” he said, trying to convince himself that this line of thought was completely laughable, and not one worth exploring, and yet...

The wolf was looking at him, head cocked to the side, and looking terribly patient like Zuko did when he was waiting for Sokka to work out something that to him was blatantly obvious. Sokka looked over his shoulder, making sure the hallway was clear of any neighbors, and as he did, he spotted the big and bright full moon hanging in the sky. 

This was so fucking stupid. 

He looked the wolf square in the eye -- fucking hell, the wolf had pretty, gold eyes, of  _ course  _ it had gold eyes -- and spoke resignedly. 

“Zuko?”

The wolf’s tail swept across the ground, back and forth, in what could only be described as a wag, and he barked once before trotting over and sitting down in front of the door, tongue out, panting happily. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” he blanched, running a hand down his face. The wolf shook its head and then moved like it was shrugging, a far too human movement to look appropriate on an animal. 

The wolf --  _ Zuko  _ \-- then turned, and headed further inside, stopping only to look over his shoulder at Sokka and nod his head in a ‘come on in’ kind of way, and Sokka couldn’t believe that he was about to do just that. 

Leaving his shoes in the entryway and dropping his bag there as well, he stepped up and followed him into the living room, where, on the sofa, a set of Zuko’s clothes were folded up and left in a neat stack, upon which rested Zuko’s phone and keys. 

“Did...you put these here?” Sokka asked, tapping the screen to see the missed call from himself. Zuko, climbing up onto the sofa, nodded, and took his belongings gingerly in his mouth and moved them onto the armrest so he could scoot over and make room for Sokka. 

“Right. Okay, that’s cool.” Sokka said as he sank down onto the cushions. He heard Zuko huff as if he were laughing, and his head -- bigger and furrier than usual -- came to rest on Sokka’s lap. 

Sokka didn’t really know what to do with himself. What was he supposed to do when his currently-a-wolf boyfriend was just chilling on your lap? 

Zuko made it abundantly clear what he thought Sokka should be doing when he lifted his head just enough to nudge Sokka’s hand with his very large and wet nose, and this was a move Sokka had seen his own dogs do -- he was being asked for a pet. 

Suppressing an incredulous laugh, he brought his hand up and carefully ran it over the top of Zuko’s sleek fur, and he could feel the contented sigh that the wolf let out across his lap. 

“What the  _ fuck _ , man.” Sokka muttered, shaking his head. “You have so much explaining to do.” 


	2. Chapter 2

Sokka found himself on the couch the next morning, a painful crick in his neck, and a meek-looking, fully human Zuko puttering around in the kitchen, making breakfast. He gave a big stretch, groaning loudly, and bit back a snicker when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zuko twitch, his shoulders creeping up towards his ears ever so slightly. He looked like he was walking on actual eggshells, and though he couldn’t see Zuko’s expression, Sokka was almost certain that his lips were pressed thin, eyes tight in a way that only happened when he was nervous to a point where he was afraid to show it. 

Sighing, Sokka got up and shuffled over to Zuko, coming up behind him and wrapping him in a hug from behind, resting his chin on Zuko’s shoulder as he peered down at what Zuko was making. 

“Morning,” he greeted, pressing a kiss to Zuko’s cheek, “What’s for breakfast?” He could feel the tension in Zuko’s body ebb just a little. 

“Cheesy eggs and avocado on toast.” Zuko said, tilting his head towards Sokka, but not quite meeting his eyes. “I’ve also got some bacon if you want.” He gestured to a plate that he continued to pile high with bacon fresh off the pan he was cooking on, and quite frankly, Sokka found himself alarmed at the sheer amount Zuko seemed to think they were capable of eating, even split between the two of them.

“Y’know, as much as I love eating meat, I feel like you might’ve... overshot there, babe.”

Zuko blinked, his confusion evident on his brow, until the lightbulb above his head seemed to finally turn on. 

“Oh, this isn’t- I mean, I just-” Sokka wanted to help him out as Zuko floundered for words, but he didn’t know how to, “It’s weird, it’s just that I-” Zuko flushed under Sokka’s gaze full of genuine care and concern. “I just really crave meat?” It wasn’t supposed to have come out as a question, but the tone of his voice certainly implied that it was. “Like, around this time of the lunar cycle,” He swallowed, “Before and after, y’know.” He made a vague gesture and this time it was Sokka’s turn to blink. 

“So you’re eating most of it, right?” Sokka asked eventually, “Because there’s no way I could eat even half of all of what you’ve got on your plate.” 

Zuko ducked his head a little, and nodded. 

“It... takes a lot of energy to switch.” he mumbled, ears burning, and despite the apparent non-sequitur, Sokka quickly put two and two together. 

“Ah,” he said sagely, “Yeah, I guess it would, huh?” 

They stood in relative silence, Sokka more than content to just hold Zuko and wait for him to finish cooking before having a conversation about the elephant -- or wolf? -- in the room, but then suddenly, Zuko blurted out,

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, and I’m sorry you had to see me like that last night.” 

Sokka could practically see the downturned ears and tucked tail on Zuko as he waited for what he obviously expected to be a negative reaction. 

“I get it.” he said with a shrug, not once letting his hold on Zuko waver. “It’s a weird thing to bring up with someone, and as much as I want to say that you should’ve told me and that I would’ve believed you...” Sokka sighed. “I don’t know if I would’ve. I’d like to think that I would’ve, but-”   
“But it’s a weird thing to bring up with someone.” Zuko finished wryly. Sokka chuckled. 

“Yeah.” 

“Are you mad?” Zuko asked after a few moments, and there it was. He was worried that Sokka was mad because he’d struggled to admit that he was a mythical creature that was only supposed to exist in fairy tales. 

“No, Zuko, I’m not mad.” he promised, “I mean, it would’ve been cool if I got to see you actually shift forms or something, but there’s always next month, right?” 

Zuko had clearly not been expecting him to be so overall accepting, but maybe his response attested to just how far they’d come in their relationship and in trusting one another, because though Zuko’s gaze bordered on hesitant, he gave a final nod, and Sokka could see the last of the apprehension leave him. They shared a smile and a quick kiss, before Zuko requested Sokka’s help in moving the plates on the counter over to the table, and they sat down to dig in. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that the conversation was over. Sokka still had so many questions, and it must’ve been pretty obvious judging by the way that Zuko began explaining. 

“It’s hereditary,” Zuko said, “Most common in firstborn children. My uncle is like me too. In our family, it’s a source of pride, but I know that isn’t the case for other packs. Some see it as a curse, which...” He trailed off with a shrug, and Sokka did his best not to frown. 

“What do you see it as?” 

“I used to hate it,” Zuko replied easily like he’d had a long time to come to terms with this, with his truth, “It’s not exactly comfortable, and I felt like it was a disadvantage more than anything else. But now I figure that it’s just one of those things that happens every month, and I learned that it isn’t without its perks. I can hear and smell pretty well, even as a human, and the wolf headspace isn’t too bad either.” 

"So what, you don’t lose all sense of yourself when you transform?” Sokka tilted his head to the side. “And even if you bite me, I won’t turn into a werewolf?" 

Zuko snorted.

"Common misconception, only made worse by that shitshow of a book series about wizards," he muttered under his breath, "Lycanthropy is strictly hereditary. It's not a spreadable disease. You can't just 'get' it. It's like the color of your eyes. Eye color isn't fucking contagious, and neither is Lycanthropy."

"Well, there go my dreams of howling at the moon with you," Sokka snickered, though it was mirthless at the thought of the series Zuko was referring to, "And you sound like you've got a bone to pick with the author of that series."

"I do. Her blatantly shitty takes are just the worst,” Zuko said flatly, “Fuck her.” 

“Fuck her.” Sokka agreed. 


End file.
